Nailing Jell-O to a wall: regulating Internet pharmacies.

Abstract

The growth of the Internet pharmacy industry is challenging the ethical and regulatory systems that govern the sale and distribution of prescription drugs. New forms of regulation are necessary to prevent abuse and minimize mistakes by consumers, doctors, and pharmaceutical companies. Unfortunately, the mercurial nature of the Internet makes trying to regulate it "like trying to nail Jell-O to a wall." Effective regulation will require greater coordination among state, national, and international regulatory bodies. In addition, consumereducation programs are necessary to inform the public of the problems that are caused by the impersonal and commercial nature of marketing drugs over the Internet. At a minimum, the author suggests that states should uniformly adopt laws that prohibit a physician from prescribing drugs without any face-to-face communication between the physician and the patient, and the United States should work to make this a uniform international standard.